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SheHathaldir
The Shire
Jan 27 2015, 10:06pm
Post #1 of 26
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My Love Letter to The Hobbit (long)
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I just posted this to my Tumblr, but I thought I should post it here as well. It is something that I've wanted to express for a long time, and since the final film has now been released, I really needed to get my thoughts out there, whether anyone else reads them or not. It's my cumulative review of all The Hobbit films, but also just an expression of how much Peter Jackson's Tolkien films have meant to me - which is a great deal.
As it's quite long, I'll just post a couple of paragraphs here. Follow the link to read the rest if you'd care to. No disrespect is meant to anyone who disagrees. This is just something I needed to get off my chest here at the end of the journey. 
When I went to see The Fellowship of the Ring, I wasn’t very excited about it. I had never read the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, and had never wanted to; I thought a series of books about wizards and small people with hairy feet would prove less than interesting to me. But the film looked like a decent enough way to pass a couple of hours, I liked a number of actors in the cast, and I had nothing else to do. So I went, not expecting much.
Instead, by the end of the prologue, I had fallen in love. Fallen in love with a world called Middle Earth, with hobbits and elves and men descended from kings, by the story that was unfolding before me and by all the back stories that I was yet to discover, hidden like a dwarf-hoard of gold in the pages of Tolkien’s books. After seeing Fellowship I delved headfirst into this new-found world. I read Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion, and The Unfinished Tales in quick succession; I explored The History of Middle Earth and eagerly poured over every character or scene that John Howe and Alan Lee had ever illustrated. Then I ventured farther afield, exploring all the mythologies and legends that had influenced Tolkien’s creation; I spent time in the company of Odin and mingled with Arthur and his knights. And as I wandered I rediscovered my own creativity: I sketched and painted and wrote. In short, my life was enriched - and yes, changed - by my discovery of Tolkien’s work.
It is a very distinct possibility that I would never have made this discovery, if not for Peter Jackson and his films.
Thirteen years later, I have had a chance I did not think I would ever have again: to return to Middle Earth, to revisit characters that feel like dear old friends, and to make new friends of new characters. I have traveled again from the borders of the Shire and seen new lands open before my eyes, lands that had existed only dimly in my imagination. I have shared vicariously in the perils and triumphs of a heroic company, and like Bilbo, I have grown very fond of them. When I read The Hobbit before the films were released, I struggled to become truly invested in the story. Reading it as an adult, and reading it after I had read the Lord of the Rings, I missed the poetry of the later, longer work, the elegiac, almost Biblical sense of scope and grandeur that fills every page. I could not remember the names of all the dwarves and had to keep turning back to the beginning of the story to distinguish them; there seemed little difference between them, save for the color of their hoods. One was the leader, Thorin Oakenshield, a would-be king; one was tremendously fat. And that was about all I came away knowing about the dwarves of Erebor. So Peter Jackson, through these films, has given me a tremendous gift. He took a simple story and expanded it, filled it out with color and detail and references to the wider world of Middle Earth that I already knew and loved. He made each dwarf an individual, with his own personality, his own special skills and his own unique failings. For lack of a better term, he humanized them, and rounded out the other characters in ways that made me feel closer to them. I understood Thorin’s ambition, his fall and his redemption; I sympathized with Bilbo’s homesickness and his simultaneous hunger for the mysteries of Wilderland. I learned more than I had known before about Bard the Bowman, and Thranduil, and Legolas - and although what I learned may only be hinted at in Tolkien’s work, or not exist there at all, still what I learned seemed true to the characters I had read about, and the more I knew of them - the more I understood them - the more dear they became to me. I met a new character, and though she did not appear by name in Tolkien’s works, still she seemed familiar to me. I had met her before, in a way, in the grace and beauty and bravery of Galadriel and Arwen, and in the stories of her more ancient forebears: Luthien and Aredhel and Elwing. Bits and pieces of Middle Earth that I never thought I would encounter outside the confines of my mind sprang up before my eyes - the White Council banishing the Necromancer from Dol Guldur, the Battle of Azanulbizar before the gates of Moria, the bleak High Fells of Rhudaur and the tombs of the Ringwraiths, the destruction of Dale. And I cherish each and every glimpse and would not trade them. Not for all the gold in Erebor - or anywhere else.
http://onstraysod.tumblr.com/...letter-to-the-hobbit
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iduna
Rivendell
Jan 27 2015, 11:07pm
Post #2 of 26
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I agree with you so much! Thank you for expressing your feelings so eloquently.
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Kim
Valinor
Jan 27 2015, 11:07pm
Post #3 of 26
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Thank you for sharing, that was lovely to read.
#OneLastTime
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dormouse
Half-elven
Jan 27 2015, 11:27pm
Post #4 of 26
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Thank you so much for this....
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We came to the films from very different places - I had known the books for decades - but you speak for me too and I read your post - and the longer version - with a very broad smile. This especially:
These films are Peter Jackson’s vision of Tolkien’s work, and the fact that Jackson’s vision happens to exceed my own in color and excitement and grandeur - the fact that his vision is, to me, shot through with something that I can only describe as a kind of magical joyfulness, a childlike wonder -is something I am tremendously thankful for
Count me among the 'naive or foolish or hopelessly uncool' and proud to be there!
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Voronwë_the_Faithful
Valinor
Jan 27 2015, 11:39pm
Post #5 of 26
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Thank you for sharing it.
'But very bright were the stars upon the margin of the world, when at times the clouds about the West were drawn aside.'
The Hall of Fire
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Glorfindela
Valinor
Jan 27 2015, 11:46pm
Post #6 of 26
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts
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It's been a long journey for me, too, though I knew the LotR and Hobbit books quite well before I saw the films. My first thought after seeing LotR for the first time in the cinema was 'Eh, what's this?' It was only after the second viewing that I was hooked. I did find the films to be very unlike the images in my head, following my reading of the books.
As for The Hobbit, and especially BoFA and AUJ, it's difficult to find words to describe how I feel about the films – and you've partly done that.
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Jeffrodo
Bree
Jan 28 2015, 12:20am
Post #7 of 26
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I agree 100%. Lovely!
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The Grey Wanderer
Lorien
Jan 28 2015, 1:05am
Post #8 of 26
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I thought Tolkien had an impact on the last half-century of my life, but nothing like what he did for yours. This is indeed PJ's version of the Hobbit & does add immensely to the flavor and depth of middle earth. And having a wonderful place like middle earth to escape from the trials and tribulations of life is a god send to us all!
I thank you for your post...it was not at all too long (even the EE version)!
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Riven Delve
Tol Eressea
Jan 28 2015, 1:07am
Post #9 of 26
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I'm so glad you posted this, SheHathaldir. I think you voice the deep feelings many here have for PJ's vision of Middle-earth that we have never been able to express half so eloquently!
“Tollers,” Lewis said to Tolkien, “there is too little of what we really like in stories. I am afraid we shall have to try and write some ourselves.”
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Eruonen
Half-elven
Jan 28 2015, 3:20am
Post #10 of 26
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Thank you for sharing, I hope PJ and crew read this.
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You have touched on many things I have felt and expressed them in a way that many of us wish we could have.
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Pandallo
Rivendell
Jan 28 2015, 4:15am
Post #11 of 26
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These thoughts very much echo my own. Like you, I paid no attention to Tolkien before seeing Fellowship of the Ring, but I made sure to balance my reading with the releases of the films (I wanted to be surprised by what I saw in the films even though The Two Towers book does continue a bit past the end of the movie) and in the interim I read The Hobbit (after having seen the Rankin-Bass version, as I recall).
I recalled liking the character of Thorin, getting some insight into Bilbo, and seeing another side of Gandalf, seeing Gollum in a more sympathetic light, and Smaug's massive arrogance but that was basically it. It didn't have that great of a lasting impression (other than the Riddles which I memorized fully)
With the movies releases I watched AUJ and then read up to the end of Out of the Frying Pan. At the end of it I had to shake my head and say "The movie adds so much more to this simple story!"
I did the same with the Desolation of Smaug and was taken aback that I forgot that the Dwarves originally did Nothing against Smaug but cowered and hid while he went to burn down Laketown. Also Bard's character is the definition of Deus Ex Machina in the book. I loved him in the movie and he wasn't really there in the book until the Battle of the Five Armies after he just-so appears to take out Smaug.
Again the movie added so much more that was not in the original book.
As Gandalf himself says in AUJ "All good stories deserve embellishment." And I think that's the theme of the Hobbit movies, take a simple story and turn it into something memorable and powerful.
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Starling
Half-elven
Jan 28 2015, 6:22am
Post #12 of 26
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who has read your post to follow the link and read your letter in full.
Thank you so much for posting this. I found it very moving, and I was nodding my head a number of times as I read your letter. So much of what you wrote rang true for me, and I'm sure for many others here.
Lovely. 
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Brethil
Half-elven
Jan 28 2015, 6:36am
Post #13 of 26
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Thank you. I really enjoyed this
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I came to the films hesitantly as I was quite afraid to have the books I knew 'visible'. Maybe a fear of my own imaginings revealed as not quite good enough - whatever the reason I too unexpectedly fell in love with these films (in my case, in Bilbo's kitchen) and have stayed that way, through whatever bumps and bruises they may have in terms of what 'I would have done'. Maybe it is because I was a long-time Shakespeare fan before I was a Tolkien fan, I am open to different and often wildly varying, even out of original context, adaptations of a beloved text. I do look forward to seeing a creative mind interpret literature that I enjoy. I have enjoyed the entire process with this team, immensely.
Your points about the value of fantasy and escapism to the spirit are excellent and reflect a tenet I feel JRRT invested much in. As well as your points on cynicism - true cynicism for the purpose of control, as I read it - and its place poised squarely against those things.
It takes courage and integrity to put your most sincere thoughts out there as you have. Thanks for doing it. 
(This post was edited by Brethil on Jan 28 2015, 6:42am)
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GloryBox
Bree
Jan 28 2015, 6:52am
Post #14 of 26
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Beautiful! Especially your extended version.
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And I think your phrase 'magical joyfulness' perfectly captures the Jackson team's work on these films. Thanks so much for your post!
...one morning long ago in the quiet of the world, when there was less noise and more green... The Hobbit
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Noria
Gondor
Jan 28 2015, 1:26pm
Post #15 of 26
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Thank you for this – your eloquence is lovely,
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Here and in the longer version as well.
Like others here, I came at the movies from the other direction, that of a long time book lover. Back in 2001 I was a little nervous about seeing FOtR, afraid it would disappoint - but it didn't and I was enthralled. It did take me two viewings to get used to the changes from the book and PJ's style. Five movies later, I am still enthralled though there are things I don’t care for in each of the six movies, particularly in LotR.
I hear you about The Hobbit novel because my experience was similar, but involved only the books. As a teenager many decades ago I read The Hobbit immediately after reading LotR and was very disappointed. That changed and I came to appreciate the novel but still find aspects of it irritating (I prefer LotR and The Silmarillion overall). So I’m very glad that PJ opened up the story and the world and the characters of The Hobbit and made them part of the larger world of Middle Earth and, for me, made them glorious.
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mae govannen
Tol Eressea
Jan 28 2015, 2:24pm
Post #16 of 26
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Very nice comment too here...//
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'Is everything sad going to come untrue?'
(Sam, 'The Field of Cormallen', in 'The Return of the King'.)
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mae govannen
Tol Eressea
Jan 28 2015, 2:27pm
Post #17 of 26
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'Is everything sad going to come untrue?'
(Sam, 'The Field of Cormallen', in 'The Return of the King'.)
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Elessar
Valinor
Jan 28 2015, 3:31pm
Post #18 of 26
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Very nicely done. Like you I had never read the books before FOTR came out but between my mother and Peter Jackson I fell in love with Tolkien's world. It's changed my life and I can see it has been similar for you. Thank you for sharing.
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mae govannen
Tol Eressea
Jan 28 2015, 3:47pm
Post #19 of 26
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I wish Christopher Tolkien would read this love-letter
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in its entirety, and as a result would open up a little to the beauty and the depth - and also the fun! - straight from JRRT that PJ and team have been able to transmit to humanity through the big screen with these six movies...
And that includes the inspiring, transfiguring vision of the 'fair green country' Gandalf evokes so wonderfully for little Pippin, even though finally it is the Ring-bearers who will need to go there for a while in order to be healed...
I don't know who else but this team would have dared to include even THAT in their films, as well as a quiet invocation sometimes of the Valar, and a few discrete but forceful 'MEANT' uttered by dear old Gandalf again to remind us all of the loving Will and Wisdom of Eru guiding it all over the eons from behind the scenes...
What more, what more can be asked from these films before one feels forced from within to hail them as truly great adaptations of Tolkien's own vision?
Well, the best way I can put it is that for me PJ was MEANT to create Middle-earth on screen... and I am, oh, so glad he did!...
'Is everything sad going to come untrue?'
(Sam, 'The Field of Cormallen', in 'The Return of the King'.)
(This post was edited by mae govannen on Jan 28 2015, 3:50pm)
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Theodora
The Shire
Jan 28 2015, 7:53pm
Post #20 of 26
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Thank you for sharing what the films mean to you.
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Domien
The Shire
Jan 28 2015, 10:01pm
Post #21 of 26
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What a lovely, wonderful letter. I thought it was so great I shared the link on Facebook :)
I did grow up with these books as a kid but I feel exactly the same way. I don't think I could have expressed it as beautifully as you did, though. Thank you!
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Lindele
Gondor
Jan 28 2015, 10:56pm
Post #22 of 26
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written this...if I was far more eloquent, thoughtful and well spoken than I am. I treasure every word.
Thank you.
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spurg63
Registered User
Jan 29 2015, 5:58am
Post #23 of 26
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All I can say is , well said and a hearty amen to what you so wonderfully expressed. You pretty much summed up what has been in my mind and heart after walking out from seeing the Hobbit one last time on the big screen .
(This post was edited by spurg63 on Jan 29 2015, 6:00am)
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elf-lady
Rivendell
Jan 29 2015, 5:18pm
Post #24 of 26
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Thank you for sharing your love letter! I am constantly amazed by the thoughtful and intelligent posts by our TORnsibs and wishing I could be as eloquent. I FEEL but cannot always express as you have. Thank you. *bows*
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Loresilme
Valinor
Jan 29 2015, 5:49pm
Post #25 of 26
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This is absolutely beautiful and I wish it could remain on this front page forever
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I read your entire post, and cried, and smiled, and was stunned at how someone else could not only express exactly what had happened to me too, and exactly how I feel as well, but express it all so much more eloquently and movingly than I ever could.
I wish we could Sticky this thread and keep it front and center always. I bookmarked your Tumblr so I'll never lose it.
Thank you.
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